1985 VF700 Uneven tire wear+ a cpl questions

Hey guys,
I bought a 1985 Honda Interceptor VF700 from a friend of mine a few weeks ago.It has 31,000 miles in it. I love the bike so far ... However there are some things I need to fix, like the front fork, left side (side with trac system on it) is leaking fluid. He said he lifted rubber and put some "stuff" in there to stop it from leaking but it did'nt work. The fluid is leaking out from the top of the part where the smaller rod goes into the bigger rod with the rubber seal in it. Is there an o-ring or something inside there I can replace to stop leak? I did check the rod for signs of scratches and felt nothing.

I was looking at my tires yesterday and I noticed the front tire had more wear on the "drivers" side. Im wondering what could cause this? Rubbing my hand over tire it almost felt as if there were bumps of wearness on that side, and other side felt fine. Is there some type of alignment that could be off.? Or do tires sometimes wear like that?

Also I was thinking about getting some side body kits for the bike to make it look faster/cooler, but Im thinking it will make the engine run much hotter since it wont have the open breathing like it has now.?

Im sure I will have more questions in the future, but I am trying to read forums and learn as much as I can on my own. Thx for reading :smile:

 

Sounds like your two problems go hand in hand. I would change the fork seals and oil, and replace the tire.

 

Welcome to the site. I would agree with Y2Kviffer. If your left fork is leaking and you have uneven tire wear on same side, I would say the same. If one fork is working properly and other is soft from leaking I would imagin it is putting differant pressure on tire from side to side. I dont know about seals or o-rings but I think there is a forum that has repair manuals that you could down load.

I am sure someone with your Gen bike would be able too help a little more.

Again welcome and congrats on the VFR. :welcome:

 

Ditto for the above. The fork seal can be replace and the suggestion of doing so is warranted as it can cause uneven tire wear, as noted, but also can cause an unsafe riding condition, meaning the bike may not corner well (at least in left hand corners). There is a sub-forum here that has manuals, and if you need parts, you can look them up on www.servicehonda.com, www.bikebandit.com, or even www.ronayers.com.

 

VFRs eat front tires. Next pair you mount, get something that has the sipes running along the direction of travel, as opposed to running across the tire. Any tire design with sipes running across the tire gets 'cupped" in a couple thousand miles.

Regarding the fork components, just order all the wear item parts and replace 'em all in both forks. An '85 is overdue for a complete rebuild. Parts cost won't be too much; its mostly the time on the bench doing the rebuild. and the "driver's side" of any tire takes more wear due to the crown of the road. The bike probably spent a lot of time on state highways going straight. Twisty roads wear tires much more evenly.

 

The forks will not affect the side of the tire they are on, the whole front end moves together as an assembly. Having a fork, regardless of which one, that is not functioning properly will affect how a tire wears though.

The tire wear is commonly referred to as 'cupping' and is very common. My experiences are that most motorcycle front tires have some degree of cupping. If you start to notice handling performance problems then you should replace it. I run my tires like this until they are almost bald without any trouble.

 

Hey, thank you for all the replies

I got the repair manual from the previous owner of the bike, and it explains everything in detail. Now I just need to find a good website for parts. I'll check out the ones WhiteKnight posted first.

Anyone have any comments about the side body kits? Will they affect the cooling of the bike?

 

You should try you local dealer first. My dealer can beat the websites listed by about 10% if you factor in the inflated shipping they charge. Ask for discount, all dealerships do it but you have to ask first.

 

When I ask for a discount, do I just say that mike sent me?:tongue:
I wanted to put side covers on my bike two, I dont think it will affect cooling at all, and I know this thread is dead, but I had the same question.
And if I wanted them would I have to buy the aftermarket ones, or will stock 86 ones fit my bike?